This Toronto half-marathon route includes pit stops at multiple bakeries
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Good news for runners: on May 23, carb-loading (let’s face it, the best part of long-distance running) won’t just be something to enjoy before or after a race. Thanks to the new, decidedly non-competitive Toronto Bakery Run—a half-marathon with stops at eight west-end bakeries—stuffing yourself with glutinous delights is part of the course itself. Suddenly, 21 kilometres seems a whole lot more palatable.
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Beginning at Organic Press Cafe and finishing with a celebration at the park at Mirvish Village, participants will experience both sugar and adrenalin highs while guiltlessly sampling flaky croissants, cinnamon buns, fritters and fresh breads from some of the city’s best bakeries, including Blackbird Baking Co., Emmer and Bà Nôi. One hundred runners, selected by lottery from more than 1,000 applicants, have secured spots in the inaugural event.
Inspired by Copenhagen’s Fastelavn Bun Run and similar community-minded running events in New York, co-founders Andrea Delgado and Erfan Hakani decided that Toronto deserved a bakery run of its own.
Related: How two pastry chefs turned a Vaughan industrial unit into a destination for croissants
“Running doesn’t have to be serious or competitive,” says Delgado. “There’s something special about moving through the city with people, with good food and good company along the way. We wanted to bring that to Toronto with some of our favourite local bakeries and independent spots.”
As long as Toronto’s naked bike riders don’t decide to hop on the bakery train, this should remain Toronto’s most inspiringly wholesome carb-loading event.
Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
